It’s time for Liverpool to show how much better than Manchester United they are

Liverpool are a much better team than Manchester United these days, but they’re overdue a win against their old rivals.

Were it not for David de Gea, Manchester United would have suffered a humiliating defeat on their last visit to Anfield. Of course, this certainly wasn’t the first time the Spanish goalkeeper has saved his team, but even by his usual standards, it was a one-man salvage job as he faced 19 shots compared to the six, of which only one was on target, United mustered. A 0-0 draw was his trophy.

This match didn’t just serve as an illustration of de Gea’s brilliance and United’s reliance on him. It also exposed the shortcomings of Jurgen Klopp’s side. In a game they should have taken three points from, they took just one. United suffocated them, bringing Liverpool down to their level. Fans wailed at the indignity of the ploy from Jose Mourinho, but ultimately it worked.

Liverpool have come a long way since then, which is why this weekend’s clash with United matters so much. Of course, these matches always matter, but this presents Klopp’s men with a chance to show just how wide the gulf now is between the two rivals. And there’s also the small matter of the ongoing title race.

Liverpool charged the look of the Premier League table last week, leapfrogging City after the latter’s defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but they still have to change the narrative around this season’s title race. Most still expect the defending champions to, at one point or another, accelerate away from the rest of the chasing pack, including Liverpool.

Not since the Premier League title races between Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United have the margins for error at the top of the table been so small. Back then, it felt like neither team could drop points without that being exploited. It’s the same between City and Liverpool this season.

Most would accept that, all things considered, City are the superior team. They have a deeper squad, they have a clearer ideology and they already have medals around their neck. To stand any chance of finishing ahead of them, Liverpool must beat the teams they’re expected to beat, and they’re expected to beat United this weekend.

For all that Klopp has achieved at Liverpool, there are still doubts over his ability to lead the club to tangible silverware. To lead them all the way. He has yet to get his hands on a trophy as Liverpool manager, losing League Cup, Europa League and Champions League finals. It’s not just finals that Klopp has struggled to guide Liverpool through, though. It’s big games in general.

That might be quite a generalization, and it’s true that Liverpool have won more than a few big games under Klopp, but quite frequently the Reds seem restricted by the big occasion. See the Premier League clash with City earlier in the season — Guardiola’s side were there for the taking, but Liverpool failed to take that opportunity. It was the same against United, both home and away, last season.

Indeed, Klopp’s record against United isn’t the best. In fact, the German has yet to win a Premier League game against the Old Trafford in his three years in charge of Liverpool. There was a victory over United in the Europa League a couple seasons ago, but that’s it.

Liverpool and Klopp must exorcise a number of ghosts in Sunday’s game at Anfield. There’s a lot on the line. Even for this fixture, arguably English soccer’s fiercest matchup, there will be an extra edge to what is served up this weekend. Mourinho is fighting for his job, while Klopp is hoping to underline and highlight the job he has done.